Otaku Sakura
by MacGinners
Summary: AU Teenage Sakura Haruno is a huge fan of the hit series "Naruto," but when the characters suddenly begin appearing in her world, she must keep them under control and try to help them return to their world. However, as bonds are formed, can she bare to see them go? SakuCentric, mostly humor, in the process of rewriting.
1. Chapter 1

**Otaku Sakura**

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto, or any of the anime/manga mentioned.**

**AU: Sakura was born in every day America, while her spot on Team Seven has been filled by an unnamed OC who did not provide the same structure as Sakura does for Team 7, so expect a little OOC since there are changes in character development.**

**...**

Fifteen-year-old Sakura Haruno sat in her living room, curled up in her plush, pink and white striped comforter and nestled into the seat of her red velvet couch, watching the action on screen with curious, jade green eyes.

The adaptation of the manga 'Naruto,' written and illustrated by the magnificent Masashi Kishimoto, had always filled her with a certain awe. The artwork in both the manga and anime was beautiful, and the plot arcs were stretched out in a way young Sakura hoped would never end. Of course, someday the series would come to an end, but for now, the show never ceased to fill her with joy every time an episode aired.

"Sakura-chan?" Caitlyn, Sakura's six-year-old neighbor, piped up from her spot on the living room floor, sprawled out amongst pillows and blankets, "Why does everyone hate Gaara-kun?"

"Because he has a demon sealed in him, just like Naruto, and the villagers are afraid he would hurt them. Even if it's not really on purpose, like the girl from his village that he hurt with the sand," Sakura explained. Though the little girl liked the show a lot, having only come in during Shippuden, a lot needed explaining.

"Well, the villagers are mean. If they don't want the demon in him then why did they put it there, especially if they're going to decide they don't hate him later and make them the ruler?" She piped, looking up at the screen. Sakura had the anime on dub for Caitlyn, since it would probably be a little difficult for her to read subtitles.

"They grew to respect him." Sakura chuckled, amused, "Just watch the show."

"Plus he's super cute, how could anyone hate him? I love Gaara-kun." Caitlyn cooed sweetly, giving a soft sigh.

Sakura shook her head, only smiling in response. Caitlyn thought nearly all of the boys in the show were '_adorable,'_ but a certain redhead had always held a special place in the little girl's heart.

Sakura's iPhone buzzed, and the young rosette glanced at the screen, swiping to answer, "Mom? Hey! How are you and Dad? Is the exhibit going well?" Her mother prattled a bit about the museum in France, featuring a new exhibit with a few items her parents' team had helped discover, as well as how excited they all were and how much they both missed me.

"I miss you too, Mom. Ms. Penton asked me to watch Catie again. Yeah, she's an angel." A loud action scene rang throughout the room, as the on screen earth shattered in the midst of the televised action. "Of course, I'm being responsible. Naruto. Age appropriate? Please, Mom. Mom. _Mooom._ It's a show about ninjas and familial ties and working hard to achieve their dreams. Plus self-acceptance and other good stuff. Yeah, people die. Are you seriously nagging my child-rearing skills while you skip around Europe for three weeks, leaving your precious offspring to live off of ramen noodles and Oreo's?"

There were some choice words, and Sakura held the phone away from her ear, waiting for her mother to get her nagging out of the way before sighing gruffly, "I was kidding, Mom. Three square meals a day, vegetables, fruit, the whole deal. Scout's honor. Everything's fine, I swear. Yeahhh, I'll change the show, if you insist, but it's educational. You never know when being a ninja could come in handy. Kidding! Uh huh. Bye, Mom. Love you. Mhm. Love you. Be good. Bye!" Sakura hung up, and sighed in relief. Talking to her mother was draining.

"Sakura-chan?" Caitlyn turned to her babysitter, big brown doe eyes wavering and lips curled into a little pout, "Are you really going to change the show?"

Sakura hesitated, weighing her options. "Nah," she decided, jade eyes crinkling as she smiled, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." She chuckled at the little girl's cry of joy as they both fixed their eyes back on the screen, where the beloved characters played their part in a world more magical than their own.

**...**

"You have such pretty hair." Caitlyn clucked her tongue, tiny fingers running through the teenage girl's pink tresses, "If your hair was longer, I could play with it more." As it was, Caitlyn could only clip a variety of brightly colored barrettes in Sakura's hair, making it stick up in odd places.

At some point during their little Naruto-thon, Sakura had joined Caitlyn on the floor, and was now allowing her young friend to toy with her hair.

"I like it short," was Sakura's curt reply. When she was younger, she had it longer, but over time it grew impractical, and was frankly a pain in the ass. Nowadays, against the wishes of her mother, she kept it short and manageable. Who has time to maintain long hair everyday, when there were other things to do, like read and write fan fiction?

"But I bet it would look so pretty curled," Caitlyn whined softly, "Maybe you could grow it a little while I'm visiting Dad?" Caitlyn, the only child of a divorced household, was constantly torn between both parents. While she favored her mother, and lived with her for the majority of the year, on alternating weekends and holidays, as well as weeks in the summer, she must spend time with her father and his new girlfriend.

"You'll only be gone a week, sweetie," Sakura chuckled, "and I don't think it'll grow much while you're gone."

"Just don't cut it," she whined, "and eventually I'll be able to do your hair better."

"Fine, fine," Sakura allowed. It's not like her hair would grow much in that time period anyway. "Who's going to make me life decisions for the next week while you're away? I might get bored to death."

"You could hang out with the old people," Caitlyn referred to them as 'old people,' but she really meant the other teenagers within the apartment complex. To tell the truth, Sakura didn't associate with many people her age. It's not that she wasn't friendly, or they weren't friendly, she just tended to be more of an introvert. Being around other people, while tolerable, was slightly exhausting. Even little Caitlyn, as endearing as she is, grew weary on her after a little while.

"Maybe," Sakura allowed, even though she knew it probably wouldn't happen, "but I'll probably just hang out here and relax."

Naruto's face flashed on screen, as he prepared to attack, a clone helping him form the formidable Rasengan.

"Uwaa!" Caitlyn cried out, Sakura's short tresses forgotten, "Naruto-kun is so cool! Look at him go!"

"Careful, Gaara might think you've replaced him," Sakura teased, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Never," Caitlyn mock-gasped. She was quiet for a minute, her joke falling flat, eyes staring somberly at the screen. "You ever wish you could meet them for real? Like, live in their world?"

"Everyone always wants to kill each other in that world," Sakura raised a brow, "I mean, it's not too different here, but it's a little harder without their awe-inspiring power. So at least in this world I won't get a chidori to the chest."

"To the knee, you mean?"

"Now that's what I want to see," Sakura chuckled, imagining the boys fighting dragons, "the Naruto boys in Skyrim."

"Let us pray," Caitlyn cooed, little hands folding neatly together.

"Wha—Seriously?" Sakura asked, surprised by Caitlyn's request. When the little girl didn't respond, Sakura slowly folded her hands together, and Caitlyn curtly nodded her approval.

"Oh, boys of Naruto, with your mighty power and your yummy bodies—"

"Hey, you're too young—" Sakura interjected, silenced by Caitlyn's sharp glare.

"Please, benevolent ones do not leave dear Sakura-chan alone. Spread your dark, angelic, beautiful wings and fly throughout the dimensions, the very fabricated rifts throughout space and time, and come to our fair maiden's side. This is all we ask."

"Are you sure you're six?" Sakura asks, amused.

"Stop interrupting," Caitlyn admonished, "Now, Gaara-kun, please be extra, extra nice to Sakura-chan when you do come visit, because she's really pretty and nice. We ask that you especially watch over her—"

_'We?'_ Sakura sighed to herself, letting the little girl finish her silly little prayer in peace, _'What's with all this we?'_

"Because we never ever gave up on you, Gaara-kun. We wanted you to be happy, so will you make her happy too? Please accept our humble sacrifice of Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Ameneth."

After a glance from Caitlyn, Sakura quickly added, "Ameneth!" She was actually pretty touched by her little neighbor's odd gesture. "Thank you, sweetie, that was lovely."

A knock on the door signaled the end of their little babysitting session, as Caitlyn's mother, Ms. Penton, called out, "I'm back! Sakura, I picked you up some lasagna from Alberto's."

Sakura perked up at the mention of her favorite restaurant, zipping to the door and quickly opening it, "Oh, you shouldn't have, Ms. Penton! But thank you so much. With Mom gone, feeding myself is weird."

"Just wait until you go to college," the older woman chuckled softly, easing the to-go container into Sakura's arms before placing a twenty-dollar bill on top, "Thanks for watching her. She wasn't a handful, was she?"

"She was a darling," Sakura chuckled as Caitlyn rose, headed to her mother, "I'll babysit whenever, same as always, and like I say every time, you don't _have _to pay me."

"You never know when a little money could come in handy," Ms. Penton ushered her daughter out of Sakura's apartment, before bidding her farewell, "Thank you again Sakura, have a good night!"

"Bye Sakura-chaaaan," Caitlyn called out, heading into their apartment next door.

"Goodbye!" Sakura called out, before closing the door, "Thank you again for the food!" Speaking of which, it smelled absolutely tantalizing. Mouth watering, Sakura brought the container to the kitchen, setting it on the gray marbled countertops and grabbing a plate before serving herself.

She sat at the kitchen table, and a pang of loneliness hit her. "Don't be stupid," she mumbled to herself, picking at the lasagna with her fork, "you _like _being alone. You _like _having the house to yourself. It's peaceful."

She ate slowly, trying to savor the taste of a carefully cooked meal. Finished with her meal, Sakura wearily stored the leftovers in the safety of the fridge and dumped her cleared plate into the sink, which was already starting to overflow with dishes. Her fuzzy, dark pink socks slid noiselessly along the wooden floor as Sakura shuffled out of the kitchen, back into the warm comfort of the living room. Settling back onto the plush couch, Sakura nestled into her comforter once more, eyes resting on the screen as she watched her favorite characters in action.

With a soft sigh, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and eventually allowed herself to fall into a deep, blissful sleep.

**...**

"Sakura-chan?" a voice called out to her, nudging her within the black abyss of her dreamless sleep. Groggy and half-asleep, she wanted to dismiss the voice as Caitlyn, if only for the use of '_chan,'_ but snapped awake at the realization that the voice was inherently male.

Sitting up sharply, she came face-to-face with a pair of bright cerulean blue orbs. She let out a startled shriek, throwing herself to the side, tangled within her comforter. "Oh my god," Sakura cried out, kicking sharply in order to escape the thick blanket that had cocooned her, "Who the _fuck_ are you and why are you in my _house?!_"

"Don't freak out," the man's deep, eager voice soothed, concern merging into a chuckle at the end, "We were invited." Sakura stared at him, flabbergasted. Red clouded her vision as she untangled herself, furious with the intruder.

_"Invited?_" The word was laced with venom as Sakura stood, clad in a white tank top, a pair of black pajama shorts, and her fuzzy pink socks. Despite her short stature, outfit, and pink hair, she still gave off a menacing aura. "No one invited you here," Sakura snarled, "get out of my house!"

"Whoa," the boy whined, blonde hair shifting slightly as he slowly shook his head, "you've gotta believe me." It was then that Sakura noticed thin, whisker like marks on the boy's cheeks, as well as the vibrant orange jacket he had deposited haphazardly on the floor, leaving him in only black.

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, and uttered his name before she could believe her eyes, "Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, a human form of the animated character she had always adored, always believed in. He was different in human form, still striking and handsome, but she had never imagined him to look so much like a boy Sakura might encounter on the street—well, maybe not on the street, but one that she might see in a magazine, shirtless and modeling a pair of jeans. His jawline was strong, his skin tan, clinging to defined muscles. He towered over Sakura, who had to look up at him.

"Well, yeah," Naruto muttered, "I knew your name, Sakura-chan, but how did you know mine?"

"You're—" Sakura was flustered, unable to comprehend his presence here, in her living room, "You're famous. And—And you don't exist! You're a character in a manga, as well as the a-anime inspired from that manga." Her jade eyes were wide with disbelief. Surely this was some sort of dream, induced by watching too much television?

"Man-gah?" Naruto tried to enunciate the word, "I don't know what that is. All I know is that I was in my world, fighting a very terrible man who was going to hurt a lot of people—people that I care about. And then there was a voice, and before I know it, I'm here. So while I appreciate the invitation, I need to return to my world in order to defeat him. If you could just undo whatever jutsu you used to bring me here—"

"Jutsu?" Sakura sputtered, "I can't use jutsu! I didn't bring you here!"

"Then how are we going to get home?" Naruto sighed, choosing to believe the pink haired girl. She seemed just as shocked to have him yanked into her dimension as he was.

"We?" Sakura squeaked, recalling he used the same world earlier, "Did you just say 'we?' Who else is here?"

"A friend," Naruto assured her, "He's kind of frightening looking, but believe me, he won't hurt you."

"And what friend would that be?" Sakura gulped, knowing that pretty much all of the boy's friends were capable of murder. Just then, a loud crash came from the kitchen, and Sakura turned sharply towards the noise.

...

**A/N: Alriiiight, I finished one!**

**With love, **

**Ginny-chan!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Otaku Sakura C:2**

**Disclaimer: Well, I still own nothing; except for some material possessions and the heart of the man I love. xD But hey.**

**A/N: ^Cheesy disclaimer. Anyway, I know it's a little different than the first time I wrote it, you'll see why in a minute. Trust me, the boys are a'comin'. **

…**.**

"Gaah!" Sakura cried out, shocked and embarrassed by what she saw as she entered the kitchen. There was broken glass, as well as food, all over the floor. Meanwhile, a shirtless boy stood at the sink, beginning to wash out his shirt.

"I'm sorry," the boy turned his head, hands still working to get the red sauce out of his also red shirt, presumable before it left a blotchy stain, "I was searching for food, and once I picked up that container to investigate, I ended up getting it all over myself.

Sakura was horrified at the sight of her beautiful Alberto's lasagna, as well as the remains of one of her mother's favorite big glass bowls, spread across the wooden kitchen floor. She was so horrified, in fact, that it took her a moment to recognize the shirtless male who had been snooping through her fridge while Sakura had slept. "G-_Gaara?"_

He blinked at her, face surprisingly calm, "You know my name?"

"Well, er, it's a long story—"

"Sakura-chan says we're famous," Naruto interrupted, "in the Man-gahh."

"Is that a Bingo Book?" Gaara asked, looking confused. Sakura had to admit, real-life Gaara was gorgeous. Drool worthy, even, if Sakura had less control over herself. He was tall and lean, and his crimson red hair was a perfect contrast to his pale skin and beautiful, soft-green eyes that might look blue in the right lighting. _'Sea foam green,'_ Sakura settled on the color, still staring intently, _'yeah, that's right.'_

"Er," Sakura snapped out of her trance, blushing furiously, "No, it's essentially artwork that illustrates the characters'—including you two—lives."

Naruto's eyes widen in horror, "So you see us in the bath?!"

"Only you would think of something so trivial and stupid," Gaara chastised the blond, eyes narrowing, "This means that the people who read these Man-gah know all of our secrets. Our ninjutsu, any secret alliances, and surely it has information on our enemies, yes?"

"Er, enemies, yeah," Sakura was a little shell-shocked, to say the least, "What point in the series are you guys at right now?" She wasn't sure what information to give away, or what consequences there would be for telling them anything.

"Series?" Gaara caught onto the word, confused.

"Well, since you're older, you must be in Shippuden," Sakura thought aloud, "which means you're the Kazekage."

Gaara was silent for a minute, before nodding curtly, "I am not pleased with the Man-gah as a breach to our security. These illustrated books allow you to see our world in depth?"

"Well, yes," Sakura admitted, "and there's a television show too. But it's not creepy or anything, the people here just like hearing the story, it's not like we could use the information against you."

"Unless the Akatsuki get a hold of the Man-gah!" Naruto interjected, raising a fist in some sort of heroic pose, "We cannot allow that to happen!"

"Well, the Akatsuki aren't real in this world," Sakura mused, "but then again, neither are you guys."

"This is all well and good conversation wise," Gaara sighed, looking frustrated, "but may I trouble you for some spare clothing, if you have any? I will clean the glass from your floor, my sincere apologies for any damage."

Sakura flushed, realizing he was still shirtless, before sputtering, "Ah, n-no problem, I'm sure my Dad has some spare sweats that would fit."

"And a shirt, also?"

"Well…" Sakura squeaked, "you could… just stay shirtless. You know. For, er, laundry's sake." _'And by laundry I mean so that I can oogle your dreamy musculature and perfect back,' _Sakura inwardly added, averting her eyes in embarrassment at her thoughts. _'Agh, what is wrong with me?!'_

Gaara and Naruto both stared at her, either unwilling to risk losing her hospitality or too startled by her odd demeanor to say anything.

"I was kidding," Sakura said, with a weak smile. "Totally kidding. I'll just, uh, go." She hurried off, taking the long way through the living room in order to avoid the shattered glass in the kitchen.

….

Sakura went into her parents' bedroom unabashed, as they were neither home nor coming home any time soon, so secrecy was an art she'd long forgotten. She began digging through her father's drawers, looking for articles of clothing that might fit the young man in her kitchen.

All she could scrounge up were her father's smallest pair of sweatpants, a dark brick color with black drawstrings. Her father wasn't bigger than most adult males she knew, but these boys were wiry, muscled, and lean. Her dad's normal sized sweats were going to hang off.

"If they're staying in this world, I'll have to take them shopping," Sakura grumbled, trying to remember how much she had saved in her bank account. Her parents generally paid for most expenses, and often left her an overly generous amount of food money when they had to go on their trips, so Sakura had a fair bit saved from working a part-time job as a hostess. Though that money was her general car savings, taking out a little bit to buy clothes for the boys wouldn't put too much of a dent in her savings.

"These are all I could find," Sakura returned to the kitchen, holding up the pair of sweatpants for Gaara, "They should fit, but we can go out and try to find something tomorrow—if whatever magic that brought you here still holds."

"Magic?" Naruto asked, cerulean eyes bright with curiosity, "Hey, wait a minute, why don't I get a present?"

Gaara shoots the blond a harsh look, "Because I have food spilled on my pants."

Sakura sighed, "Well, um, by magic, I mean jutsu. Like, if somebody sent you here with it, maybe it will wear off."

"So, magic is this world's jutsu," Gaara muttered to himself solemnly, wondering who would cast them here. He needed to get home; his village needed him. Perhaps by studying this _magic _and _manga, _he could return home and use that information to better protect his village. The redhead attempted to summon his sand forth from his gourd, but realized that while his chakra was there, it felt thicker, unresponsive to his manipulation. He couldn't call his sand forth.

"I bet we could learn amazing types of this _magic_," Naruto rocked on his heels with excitement, "Could you teach us any, Sakura-chan?"

"Err," Sakura's lips tweaked in amusement, "I'm not a magician, I really don't know any." The blond cast his eyes downward, disappointed. She relented, "but maybe I could look up a card trick or something for you."

"Pardon," Gaara called out, studying the glass fragments on the floor, "is there some kind of seal preventing our chakra within this room?"

"No," Sakura titled her head slightly, pink tresses falling into her eyes, "but maybe you can't use your chakra in my world." _Thank God,_ she silently rejoiced. The last thing she needed was two extremely powerful shinobi accidentally destroying her town.

"That exposes us to great danger," Gaara muses.

"You're kidding," Sakura deadpanned, "you're stronger than anyone that exists in this world, even without your chakra!"

"Regardless, I will need assistance in cleaning this glass without my chakra. I was going to use my sand, but without the chakra to manipulate it, it's just—" Gaara was interrupted by a loud outburst from Naruto.

"Teme!"

"Completely useless," a cold voice finished from behind Sakura. She turned swiftly, to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha, the infamous bastard himself, standing in under the wide arch that separated the living room and kitchen.

"Oh," Sakura sputtered, muscles tensing, "Oh, _absolutely _fucking _not!"_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, obsidian flickering red momentarily before settling back on obsidian. His lips twitched into a frown, confused as his sharingan refused to activate. He grasped at the power, but his chakra wouldn't come up to meet him, wouldn't surge into his eyes.

"You get out of my house, right now!" Sakura snarled, "No criminals allowed! No traitors allowed! Out, you filthy Uchiha _rat_!"

Sasuke was startled, eyes widening slightly, though his face quickly regained its icy composure. This girl wouldn't harm him, despite her temper. Even without his chakra, she was outmatched.

Naruto leapt at his old friend, crying out in rage, "Bastard, did you do this? How did you send us here?!" He leapt at Sasuke, who quickly darted to the side, leaving the blond to crash into the floor.

"My house will never survive this fight," Sakura brought her hand up, rubbing her temple. "You idiots," she raised her voice, cheeks crimson with her broiling rage, "if you do not stop fighting, so help me God, I will kick you out on the streets."

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, ready to go to blows with Sasuke, "he abandoned our village and—"

"I know!" Sakura snapped, "But the fight is not going to happen here! Understand? And I want the Uchiha _out. _I don't care if you are visitors to this dimension, helpless without your chakra, probably too pompous to figure out how to survive as a civilian… with no money to feed yourself… and no shelter… and no idea where to even find—_Fine_, but if you cause any trouble in my house, I swear, I will rip out your innards while you sleep."

"Fiesty," Sasuke muttered, narrowing his eyes at the riled pinkette, "I like her." His scowl told a different story.

….

**A/N: And there you have it, little loves, the first two Chapters rewritten in my current style. While I did love the simple childishness of my old stories, I'm not really that little girl anymore. Anyway, the update was a little slow, mainly because I'm posting both chapters today, so I waited to post the first one until this one was done. This is so I can take the old story down and you fine folks aren't slighted a chapter. **

**With love,**

**Ginny-chan!**


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